Home Business ‘Deadpool’ Eclipses ‘Gods of Egypt’ at Box Office

‘Deadpool’ Eclipses ‘Gods of Egypt’ at Box Office

by AFP
Courtesy 20th Century Fox

Courtesy 20th Century Fox

North American receipts for Oscar weekend see superhero movie reaching projected total of $286 million.

Superhero blockbuster Deadpool dominated the North American box office over Oscar weekend, beating out the fantasy epic Gods of Egypt, which staged a disappointing second-place debut, industry estimates showed Sunday.

Starring Ryan Reynolds as a Marvel Comics character, Deadpool took in an estimated $31.5 million, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations said. That gives the film a projected total of $286 million after it clocked the fastest rise of any R-rated movie in history following its debut three weeks ago.

Gods of Egypt—which had a production budget of $140 million in hopes it would launch a new franchise for Lionsgate—may be the year’s first flop instead. Starring Gerard Butler as the god of darkness who plunges the Egyptian empire into chaos, the film took in an estimated $14 million over the weekend.

Trailing in third place was Kung Fu Panda 3—Dreamworks’ computer-animated comedy that follows the adventures of Po as he evolves from martial arts student to teacher—which took in an estimated $9 million.

Sony’s Biblical resurrection tale Risen came in fourth place with $7 million during its second weekend. Directed by Kevin Reynolds, the film stars Joseph Fiennes, who plays a Roman army officer investigating the mysterious disappearance of Jesus’s body.

Fox’s Eddie the Eagle also debuted this weekend, landing in fifth with earnings of $6.3 million. The sports comedy starring Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton follows the story of British ski jumper Michael “Eddie” Edwards, who emerged as a folk hero after finishing last at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games.

Rounding out the rest of the top 10 were:

Triple Nine, $6.1 million

How to Be Single, $5.2 million

The Witch, $5 million

Race, $4.3 million

The Revenant, $3.8 million

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